Wall cabinet for telephones



Nov. 1, 1932. c. F. THOLIN 1,886,068

I WALL CABINET FOR TELEPHONES Filed July 12, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l mafia? NOV. 1, 1932. Q F, THQLIN 1,886,068

WALL CABINET FOR TELEPH ONES Fil y 12. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 33 1 4 40 19 j 36 V 35 J0 l atented Nov. 1 1932 PATENT OFFICE CHARLES E. THOLIN, or nooxronn, ILLINOIS WALL CABINET FOR TELEPHONES Application filed July 12, 1930. Serial No. 467,468.

This invention relates to a wall cabinet for telephones suitable for hotels, apartments and homes, and wherever it is desired to conceal the phone and conserve space by eliminating the ordinary telephone stand.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a cabinet of this kind which is neat and attractive in appearance, compact and economical in construction, and easy to install and wherein the phone is entirely concealed and out of the way, but is easily and quickly accessible for use.

The salient feature of the cabinet of my invention consists in the provision of an outwardly swingable shelf for the phone and an outwardly swingable seat in combination therewith, the former being hinged on a vertieal axis and the latter on a horizontal axis and so arranged with respect to one another that the phone is supported handily with reference to the seat and can be used without removal from the shelf by one sitting on the seat.

Another important feature of my invention consists in the provision of a. suitable connection between the seat and shelf so that the seat is swung out in the opening ,of the door on which the shelf is provided, and vice versa. The seat is preferably counter-balanced for easy and smooth operation, and the connection between the seat and shelf is preferably such as to permit a certain amount of latitude for movement of the door independently of the seat when opened so that the door can be swung out of the way to make it handier in sitting down and rising from the seat.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a vertical section through the cabinet when closed; I

Figs. 2 and 3 are vertical and horizontal sections showing the cabinet opened;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section on a slightly enlarged scale indicating how the door can be swung freely with reference to th s a g Fig.5 is a similar section but showing the doorclosed; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional detail .takenon the line ,6-6 of Fig. 5.

The same reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts throughout the views.

The cabinet 10 is illustrated as set in the wall 11 with the front thereof almost flush with the wall, so that the floor space in the room is saved thereby. A suitable ornamental molding 12 is provided around the cabinet opening for the sake of neat appearance. The cabinet is made sufficiently narrow to fit between the standardly spaced studding and i may be fastened thereto or mounted in the wall in any other manner. The top 13 and bottom 14: of the cabinet are fastened suitably to the upright sides 15 and 16, and a back wall 17 is fastened to these other'piece's. The phone box 18 is arranged to be mounted in the lower end of the cabinet on the back wall 17, and suitable brackets 19 are preferably also provided in the cabinet fastened to the back wall 17 above the box 18. This provides a .convenient place for the telephone direc: tory 20. The concealment of the box 18 and the provision of a place forstorage of the telephone directory are naturally of consider able advantage, for obvious reasons, and it will now appear how the telephone 21 is also arranged to be concealed in the cabinet but in such a way that it is easily and quickly accessible and positioned handily for use.

The open front of the cabinet is arranged to be closed by a. door 22 and seat panel 23 as indicated in Fig. 1. The door is above the seat panel and is hinged to the side 15 as at 24 to swingon a vertical axis. Theseat panel 23, on the other hand, is hinged or trunnioned to the sides 15 and 16 as at 25, near the lower end thereof, to swing on a horizontal axis. The door 22 has a shelf 26 thereon suitably recessed as indicated at 27 to receive the telephone, the circular base of the phone fitting neatly the recess 27 The door is made with a protruding boxed portion 28 to accommodate the phone, becauseof the fact that the cabinet ,cannot ordinarily be made deep enough, owing to the limited space available between walls. A springrpressed latch 29 is provided on the door for cooperation with a keeper 30 in the cabinet and is arra ged t b e eased y d pression of a :button 31 as the door is being opened ;bymeans of the handle 32 provided preferably just below the button 31. The seat panel 23 is arranged to be swung out in the opening of the door, and, while it is obvious that there are various ways of interconnecting the door and seat to secure the desired operation, I have illustrated an arm 33 pivoted at its upper end'lwithin the cabinet to the side wall 15,

as at 34, and pivotaly connected at its lower end, as at 35, with a link 36 pivotally connected to the seat panel 23 at 37 The arm 33 is to oscillate between the positions arranged shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and, in the opening of the door, the arm is swung from the retracted 'tion of Fig. 1 to the extended position of 2 by means of a link 38, which is pivotally connected to the door 22 under the shelf 26, as at 39, and has a lost motion pivotal connection with the arm 33 intermediate the U ends of the latter by means of an eye 40 on the am received in a slot 41 provided in the link. when the cabinet is closed, the link 38, as shown in Fig. 5, receives the eye 40 in the outer endrof the slot 41, and, hence, the moment the door is moved in opening, the link 88 "communicates movement to the arm 33 to sag-2g theseat panel 23 outwardly. The seat p :23 is limited in its movement by the gement of the lower end thereof with U do 42 provided inside the cabinet at the oppos to sides and 16, and in its limit position, the panel is substantially horizontal and the link 36 is in a straight line with the arm 83, so that the panel is supported by the stops Eon one side of the-pivot point and on the otherside by the arm and link. In that way the seat ismade quite rigid. The door 22, by reason of the slot 41in the link 38, is free to swingindependently of movement of the seat panelbetween the full line and dotted line positions shown in Fig. 4. This latitude for movement is of advantage from the standpm'ntlthat the door can be swung out of the we in sitting downor rising from the seat an can be swung toward the person seated, so assto make itunnecessary to remove the mm from the shelf, without making it the bit awkward to talk into the phone. 24 for the door are preferably stop hingawhich positively limit the swingmg of thedoor so that it cannot strike the wall. A counter-weight 43 is provided on the inside seat panel at the lower end thereof, to permit the seat panel to I up and down without a'jar, and also floihtatethe operation of the panel with the door. passing, it will be observed that the wire fl'extending from the phone to the box 18 is suitably threaded through eyelets 45 within the cabinet on the top wall 18.7 Inthis way the extra length of wire that might otherwise get caught behind the door or-panel, is disposed of and there is nothing to mterfere with the opening and closing of the cabinet.

In operation, when the phone is to be used, the door 22 is opened by means of the handle 32, the button 31 being pressed so as to release the latch 29. As the door is swung open, the seat panel 23 is swung out to the position shown in Fig. 2 its movement being counter-balanced by the weight 43 so as to. prevent the seat from dropping with a jar. The person sitting down will swin the door out of the way and after he is seate will swing the door toward him until the phone is situated handily for use. In closing the cabinet, it is only necessary to close the door, because the seat panel will be closed automatically in the movement of the door. It has been found that when the counterweight 43 is made sufiiciently heavy it will tend to accelerate the motion of the seat panel enough to attend to the closing and latching of the door, in the event the door is not fully closed by hand. As a matter of fact, it is possible to close the cabinet by simply lifting up on the outer end of the seat panel to start the same, and thereafter, if the weight 43 is heavy enou h, it is found that the panel will close quic ly enough to close and latch the door. Rubber bumpers 46 are suitably provided within the cabinet on opposite sides for engagement by the seat panel, to limit the movement thereof and make the closing of the cabinet quiet. When the cabinet is closed it presents a neat and attractive appearance and the phone together with the telephone directory and the phone box are concealed and out of the way.

It is believed the fore oing description conveys a clear understanding of the objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claims have been drawn with a view to covering all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

I claim:

1. In a wall cabinet of the class described, the combination with a cabinet having the front thereof open, of a door hinged on a vertical axis on one side of the cabinet serving as a closure for the upper portion of the open front of the cabinet, a panel serving as a closure for the lower portion of the open front of the cabinet below the door, the same being hinged at opposite sides of the cabinet for swinging movement on a substantially horizontal axis and being arranged when swung out to serve as a seat, and means interconnecting the door and seat panel whereby the same operate together and the movement of the one communicates movement to the other in the opening and closing of the cabinet.

2. In a cabinet for a telephone or the like, the combination with a cabinet, the front of which is open, of a door serving as a closure for the upper portion of the open front of the cabinet, the same being hinged for swinging movement relative to the cabinet on a substantially vertical axis and having means on the inside thereof for supporting a telephone thereon for swinging movement with the door, a seat serving as a closure for the lower portion of the open front of the cabinet below the door, the same being hinged for swinging movement relative to the cabinet on a substantially horizontal axis, and means interconnecting the door and seat whereby the same operate together and the movement of the one communicates movement to the other in the opening and closing of the cabinet.

3. A cabinet as set forth in claim 2 wherein the last mentioned means comprises an arm pivotally connected to the seat at a point above the hinge support for the latter and extending upwardly therefrom toward the door and pivoted to the side wall of the cabinet, and a link pivoted to the door and extending inwardly therefrom and pivotally connected with the aforesaid arm in such a way that swinging movement of the door communicates oscillatory movement to the link whereby to communicate swinging movement to the seat, or vice versa.

4,. A cabinet as set forth in claim 2 wherein the last mentioned means comprises an arm pivoted to the side wall of the cabinet at its upper end behind the door and extending downwardly, a link pivotally connected with the seat at a point above the hinge support of the latter and having pivotal connection with the lower end of said arm, whereby oscillatory movement of the arm is arranged to cause swinging movement of the seat, or vice versa, and a link pivotally c011- nected to the door at one end and extending inwardly therefrom and pivotally connected at its other end with the arm intermediate the ends of the latter.

5. A cabinet as set forth in claim 2 wherein the last mentioned means comprises an arm pivoted to the side wall of the cabinet at its upper end behind the door and extending downwardly, a link pivotally connected with the seat at a point above the hinge support of the latter and having pivotal connection with the lower end of said arm, whereby oscillatory movement of the arm is arranged to cause swinging movement of the seat, or vice versa and a link pivotally connected to the door at one end and extending inwardly therefrom and pivotally connected at its oth er end with the arm intermediate the ends of the latter, the pivotal connection at one end of said last mentioned link being constructed for lost motion permitting a certain amount of swinging movement of the door independently of movement of said arm, whereby to allow the door to swing outwardly away from the seat or inwardly toward the seat when the latter is lowered.

6. In a wall cabinet for a telephone or the like, the combination with a shallow housing open at the front and arranged to'be mounted in a wall, the samebemg arranged to have the phone box mounted therein, a door serving as'a closurelfor the upper portion of the open front of said housing, the samebeing seat whereby the same operate together and the movement of the one communicates movement to the other in opening and closing.

7. In a wall cabinet of the character described, the combination with a cabinet open at the front, a door hinged in the upper portion of the open front of the cabinet to swing on a substantially vertical axis, and a panel hinged in the lower portion of the open front of the cabinet for swinging movement on a substantially horizontal axis, of an arm pivoted at its upper end on the side wall of the cabinet behind the hinge support for the door and arranged to oscillate in a fore and aft plane relative to the open front of the cabinet, and means pivotally connecting said arm with the panel, whereby as the latter is swung relative to the cabinet the arm is given oscillatory movement, and a link pivotally connected with the door at one end at a point spaced with reference to the hinge support thereof and at its other end having pivotal connection with the arm intermediate the ends of the latter.

8. In a cabinet for a telephone or the like,

the combination with a cabinet, the front of which is open, of a door serving as a closure for the upper portion of the open front of the cabinet, the same being hinged for swinging movement relative to the cabinet on a substantially vertical axis and having means on the inside thereof for supporting a telephone thereon for swinging movement with the door, a seat serving as a closure for the lower portion of the open front of the cabinet below the door, the same being hinged for swinging movement relative to the cabinet on a substantially horizontal axis, and means interconnecting the door and seat whereby the same operate together and the movement of the one communicates movement to the other in the opening and closing of the cabinet, said means being constructed to provide a certain amount of lost motion in the connection between the door and seat,

whereby to allow the door to swing outwardly away from the seat or inwardly toward the seat when the latter is lowered.

9. In a wall cabinet of the class described, the combination with an open front cabinet, of a door hinged at one side of the cabinet to w; outwardly relative thereto on a substantlally *eertical axis, a seat panel serving as a closure for the cabinet below the door and trunnioned at opposite sides thereof near its lower end for outward swinging movement with reference to the cabinet on a subetantialwl horizontal axis, the same serving as a seat w en opened to a position extending substantially horizontally from the cabinet, mechanism interconnecting the door and seat gznel whereby the eeat panel is arranged to swnn outwardly in the opening of the door, vice versa, and a counter-weight on the lower end of the seat panel spaced from the trunnions thereof and serving to counter-balance the panel in the opening thereofi.

In witness of the foregoing I aflix my signature.

CHARLES F. THOLIN. 

